Keep Working on Your Dreams: Faizan Zaroo,
Mir Sabeen GulrezAfter finishing his education, a young man started a business selling clothing under the name “Smart Jeans,” but quickly realized that he should start his own management company under the name “Markus Kraft.”Faizan Zaroo, 31, is an entrepreneur who changed the lifestyle of living by giving comfort with new colors.While sharing his journey to News Kashmir, he said the name “Arika” comes from an Arabic word that means, “Sofa or Couch”, and in Sanskrit, it means “beautiful” (living). The name itself is self-explanatory, as our mission is to serve as lifestyle specialists. That’s why I named it “Arika Living.”From clothing to glamour, I was always involved in art and lifestyle, which landed me a job in Banglore as a store manager and marketing expert for a renowned brand. My job wasn’t satisfying my hunger to achieve what I used to dream, so I left my highly paid job and started to work on my dream, which I always dreamt of, the dream which soon became a reality in the form of Arika.The market is flooded with imported products via online or offline channels, but the issue of not being satisfied with the products has always been a question of being asked. Is what the customer is getting worth it or not? Besides business, our aim is only to uplift the craftsman as the products that have been selling online from different parts of the world are a loss to our manufacturers and the people related to art and craft.We at Arika have tie-ups with all small and big manufacturers all over India, which makes our products and quality much better than anyone else in the current market.We have masters who have personalized the art of lifestyle furniture and interiors. We provide end-to-end furniture customization according to the needs and lifestyle of customers, which gives our clients a hassle-free experience.The biggest hurdles I faced in launching Arika in Banglore were.Well, it wasn’t easy to set up in Bangalore. I faced many disagreements and rejections from the manufacturers and clients, but I didn’t give up on my dream. I spent all my savings on building a chain of suppliers and manufacturers from Banglore, now presently in Kashmir and still expanding widely throughout. It wasn’t easy without a team. A few of my friends joined Arika and helped me out with social media marketing and other important things. Not only social media, but digital as well as print helped me a lot to expand my business.I am very thankful to all who supported me throughout, but out of all the odds, the biggest support was my brother, Zubair Anjum Zaroo, who supported me in my tough times and stood beside me like a wall. It wasn’t easy for me to survive in Bangalore because the state is very expensive in every aspect. I was all alone and had to shop from the lower end to the higher end. This all wasn’t easy without the support of my family and friends, and to my surprise, those who rejected me initially were the ones who stood by my side when I was struggling. That was the moment when I realised that I should fulfill the dream not only for me but for those who are with me during my rainy days. I didn’t let them down, but, Alhamdulillah, I came up with something even stronger and shined.The main difficulties Arika faced in Kashmir were that we started in Kashmir just 7 months ago and we have 50-60 successful clients till now in Kashmir and lots of clients and queries coming in every day. The manufacturers in Kashmir weren’t supportive. The craftsmen were very expensive; hence I opened a small manufacturing unit at my home with all the possible machines with my profits just to give quality and affordable prices to my clients in Kashmir. In Kashmir, we have a dynamic sales and design team. Rouf Zargar, who is our manager in Kashmir, and other designers and craftsmen like Romi, and others.Let me explain something about Arika, its Mission,Vision and values.If we talk about Arika’s Mission , its only mission is to provide premium quality,service and variety of furniture designing and interior solutions.Arikas’s Vision: Is to be best premium furniture company in India.And last but not least if we talk about Arika’s Values, its values is to create effortless experience for consumers and uplifting craftsman.It was my team who worked hard for the brand Arika and I am very thankful to all of them. I would like to mention some of my team members, for whom my life is indebted. I would like to introduce my first employees, like Gurpreet, who is working as a social media and marketing expert. It was Gurpreet who worked without a salary for four months. It would be an injustice to Fayiq Rashid, who is working as a sales and marketing expert if I didn’t mention him.For those who want to get in touch with Arika, you can contact us via social media like Instagram and Facebook with the name Arikaliving.
